Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Where else can that well-known phrase be better applied than to a study of the Finns in Sudbury? &#8220;Rock&#8221; defines the physical reality of the Sudbury setting: rugged hills, mines, farms and forests set in the Precambrian Shield. &#8220;Hard&#8221; defines the human setting: Finnish immigrants having to contend with the problems and stresses of relocating to a new culture, with livelihoods that required great endurance as well as a tolerance for hazardous conditions.

Since 1883 Finnish immigrants in Sudbury, men and women alike, have striven to improve their lot through the options available to them. Despite great obstacles, the Finns never flagged in their unwavering fight for workers&#8217; rights and the union movement. And as agricultural settlers, labour reformers, builders of churches, halls, saunas and athletic fields, Finns left an indelible imprint on the physical and human landscape. In the process they have played an integral part in the transformation of Sudbury from a small struggling rail town to its present role as regional capital of northwestern Ontario.

This penetrating study of the cultural geography of the Finns in the Sudbury region provides an international, national and local framework for analysis &#8212; a model for future studies of other cultural groups.

Title Page, Copyright, Map

Contents

List of Tables, Figures, Maps, Aerial Photograph and Biographies

Acknowledgments

I would like at the outset to acknowledge the people who have contributed
to the development of the field of Finnish immigration history.
One advantage of working with Finnish historical geography is the fact that
this ethnic group can lay claim to having one of the richest archival heritages...

Introduction

Why write a book on the Finns of the Sudbury area? There are several
reasons. First, the story simply deserves to be told. Since 1883
Finns have played an integral part in the transformation of the Sudbury area
from a rail town to its present-day role as the regional capital of northeastern...

Chapter 1: Finnish Settlement in Canada

An understanding of the evolution of Finnish settlement in the
Sudbury area requires some reference to the development of the
Finnish community in Canada. From a national perspective, immigration
and ethnic diversity have always constituted important aspects of Canadian
life; indeed, Canada has portrayed itself to the rest of the world as a model...

Chapter II: Geographical Pattern of Finnish
Settlement in the Sudbury Area

This chapter examines the origins of Finnish settlement in the Sudbury
area and illustrates how the Finns dispersed themselves into
distinctive urban working-class "Finntowns" and agriculturally based
"enclaves." Unfortunately, little census data are available regarding Finns...

Chapter III: The Great Divide

One of the most enduring themes pertaining to Finnish settlement in
the Sudbury area and elsewhere in North America centres around
its uniquely institutional character. As Krats has affirmed, "the study of
Finnish immigrant institutions has become a dominant feature of that
group's historiography."1 It is indisputable that Finns were active joiners, as...

Chapter IV: Finns in the Workplace

Finns were no exception to the immigrant axiom that they came to
Canada as working people. For them, normal channels of capital
accumulation, through inheritance of money and property, land ownership
and credit resources, were cut off by the act of immigration to a new...

Chapter V: Finnish Cultural Contributions
to the Sudbury Area

A clear indicator of the "associative spirit" within the Finnish community
was the creation of a strong subculture linked to the physical,
artistic and intellectual well-being of the immigrant group. This subculture
served as a haven against a hostile new environment, and eased the painful
transition of being uprooted from the old homeland. The most notable...

Chapter VI: Conclusions and Retrospect

This study has presented some of the broad features of the "Finnish
factor," as it has affected Sudbury's historical and geographical development.
Many of the essential qualities of the Finnish-Canadian experience
in the Sudbury area have been defined. The main virtue shown by this
work is that the Finnish immigrants who came here were full of energy and...

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